Louvre Heist to Be Turned into Film

 The Louvre Museum seen in Paris, France, November 17, 2025. (Reuters)
The Louvre Museum seen in Paris, France, November 17, 2025. (Reuters)
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Louvre Heist to Be Turned into Film

 The Louvre Museum seen in Paris, France, November 17, 2025. (Reuters)
The Louvre Museum seen in Paris, France, November 17, 2025. (Reuters)

Last year's brazen robbery of the Louvre -- when thieves made off with jewellery worth some $100 million -- is set to become a movie, a publisher said on Tuesday.

French director Romain Gavras -- whose work includes 2025 Hollywood film "Sacrifice" starring Anya Taylor-Joy and music videos including most recently a hypnotic schoolboy choreography for GENER8ION -- will draw inspiration from the investigative book "Main basse sur le Louvre" (literally "A grab at the Louvre").

Film rights to the book about the October 19, 2025 heist had been sold to the production company Iconoclast, the Flammarion publishing house said.

The book, written by three journalists, from French dailies Le Parisien and Le Monde, and weekly glossy magazine Paris Match, is to hit bookstores on Wednesday.

According to trade magazine Le Film Francais, the movie project is in development, though neither the title nor the cast has been announced.

The Louvre heist sent shockwaves around the world and sparked a security crisis within the world-famous museum that ultimately led to the replacement of its director, Laurence des Cars.

After seven months of investigation, and despite the arrests of the main suspects, the jewels have still not been found.

The authors said their apparent disappearance "has become a dense mystery, a puzzle that has plunged investigators into deep confusion".

The heist illustrates how "the theft of artworks has become a business like any other for many criminals", they say. "The criminal underworld has found a new cash cow."



Qiddiya Investment Company, Paris Sign MoU to Explore Development of Entertainment Destination in France

Qiddiya Investment Company, Paris Sign MoU to Explore Development of Entertainment Destination in France
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Qiddiya Investment Company, Paris Sign MoU to Explore Development of Entertainment Destination in France

Qiddiya Investment Company, Paris Sign MoU to Explore Development of Entertainment Destination in France

Qiddiya Investment Company signed on Monday a Memorandum of Understanding with the French government to explore the development of a new entertainment-led, mixed-use destination in France.

The MoU was among several agreements and memoranda signed on the sidelines of the official visit of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to France.

The MoU marks the beginning of a phase of joint work to define the project’s scope, development model and contractual framework, in accordance with the applicable procedures and approvals in France.

The project will build on the capabilities, experience and partnerships that Qiddiya Investment Company is developing from Saudi Arabia. It reflects the Company’s evolution as a Saudi national brand contributing to the creation and development of entertainment experiences while expanding its global presence.

Qiddiya City remains the Company’s flagship project and the principal reference point for its model. The international project will provide a platform to introduce Qiddiya’s Power of Play philosophy, broaden the Company’s experience and partnerships, and strengthen the presence of the Saudi model in global markets.


Dutch Say Won’t Participate in ‘No Longer’ Neutral Eurovision

A logo of the Eurovision Song Contest is seen in front of the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, May 1, 2025. (Reuters)
A logo of the Eurovision Song Contest is seen in front of the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, May 1, 2025. (Reuters)
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Dutch Say Won’t Participate in ‘No Longer’ Neutral Eurovision

A logo of the Eurovision Song Contest is seen in front of the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, May 1, 2025. (Reuters)
A logo of the Eurovision Song Contest is seen in front of the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, May 1, 2025. (Reuters)

The Netherlands will not participate in next year's Eurovision Song Contest, its broadcaster said Monday, saying the event can "no longer be considered neutral" given divisions over the Gaza war. 

"It is undeniable that international conflicts are increasingly affecting the Contest, undermining its neutral character. The Eurovision Song Contest has therefore become a platform for division," said Taco Zimmerman, Director-General of AVROTROS in a statement from the broadcaster. 

The contest has recently been hit by a wave of boycotts over Israel's participation. 

Earlier this month, organizers announced they were excluding any country involved in an armed conflict from hosting the competition. 

"However, the recently announced changes... do not provide sufficient confidence that the independent and neutral character of the Eurovision Song Contest has been restored," said the AVROTROS statement. 

Israel came close to winning the competition in both 2025 and 2026, ultimately finishing second on each occasion. 

Next year's event, the world's biggest live televised music event, will take place on May 15 in Bulgaria's Black Sea city of Burgas. 

It will be the first time that the Balkan nation hosts the contest, coming after Bulgarian singer Darina Yotova, known as Dara, won this year's contest in the Austrian capital Vienna with the catchy floor-filler "Bangaranga". 

Since its launch in 1955, Eurovision has become the ultimate pop platform, catapulting Swedish icons ABBA to worldwide fame, as well as boosting the likes of Celine Dion, Cliff Richard and Olivia Newton-John. 

The 2026 competition was watched by 131 million viewers, down 35 million on the year before after five countries boycotted it over Israel's participation. 

The Netherlands, Iceland, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia all pulled out of the contest -- with the latter three refusing to broadcast the show at all. 

The Dutch took part in the very first Eurovision Song Contest back in 1956 and have won on five occasions. 

The most recent winner was Duncan Laurence whose song Arcade won the contest in 2019, going on to top charts globally. 

It became the first Eurovision entry to reach one billion streams on Spotify, according to the Eurovision website. 

The withdrawal is "painful as we would have very much liked to be part of the Contest again next year," said Zimmerman. 

"As a public broadcaster, we remain committed to our values. They guide us in everything we do, even when that means stepping away from an event that is very close to our hearts," he added. 


California Reportedly Cancels Talks with Paramount over Warner Bros Merger

FILE PHOTO: The Paramount logo is shown on a structure at the Paramount studio lot in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, February 26, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The Paramount logo is shown on a structure at the Paramount studio lot in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, February 26, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
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California Reportedly Cancels Talks with Paramount over Warner Bros Merger

FILE PHOTO: The Paramount logo is shown on a structure at the Paramount studio lot in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, February 26, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The Paramount logo is shown on a structure at the Paramount studio lot in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, February 26, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

California's Attorney General Rob Bonta canceled a meeting with Paramount Skydance representatives scheduled for Monday to begin settlement talks over the state's lawsuit seeking to block Paramount's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, the New York Times reported.

Citing a statement from Bonta's office, the newspaper said he accused Paramount of leaking details of a meeting held on Friday ⁠and acting in ⁠bad faith.

Here are some details:

“Not only did Paramount leak the alleged substance of settlement discussions, but they misrepresented these discussions, demonstrating a lack of good faith,” the report said, citing ⁠the statement.

Paramount and the California Attorney General's office did not respond to Reuters requests for comment outside regular business hours.

The New York Times reported on Saturday talks between the two parties were preliminary, and there was no assurance that they will lead to meaningful negotiations toward a settlement.

Last month, ⁠California ⁠and 11 states sued to block Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, alleging the deal would lessen competition in film distribution and cable television, harming theaters and pay TV distributors.

States including New York, Arizona and Minnesota argued the deal would harm theaters and television distributors, raise prices for consumers and make wages less competitive for workers.